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Friday, October 28, 2011

WRAP UP FRIDAYS: Hanging tight

Hello world,

I still feel amazed at how much I learn from people just through my Rev Up Wednesday interviews. I know I say this every week - forgive me for repeating myself but I can't help it! Some of my guests open their hearts more than others, but I always take something away from the experience. Last Wednesday I had Nina Pierce with me. The lady is a fighter. Every day, she struggles with the pain of Multiple Sclerosis. She writes her way through it, because that is her wish. For her, nothing comes easy, not even sitting at a desk and typing word after word. However, what I never heard from her is complaints or commiserations. Stuff like, "I hate that this happened to me." She does it all so gracefully.

I became curious about MS so I did a little research. I found that there are several celebrities who suffer from this disease but didn't let it take over their lives. It makes me wonder how many everyday people in the world are going through it as I write this. People I will never hear about in the news or on TV shows, even though they may make tiny miracles happen in their lives every day.

This week I got the flu and spent a few days in a daze. Only a few days threw me off. How does it feel, therefore, to live in constant pain, every single day, all our lives, with no hope of permanent reprieve? The thought sobered me to the point where I stopped feeling sorry for myself. Yes, I slowed down because I felt worse for wear, but I accepted that there's a process - feeling sick, followed by feeling sicker than hell, followed by numbing misery, then eventually going on the mend. Once I came to accept, I stopped fighting it, I could at least function to a degree. I wrote a bit, worked a bit, and did a few minor chores. Nothing major and I was moving very slowly, but at least it wasn't total zone out.

I think that what happens with people who face major challenges in life yet find the strength to move on is that they have also finally learned to accept their situation. In doing so, they have taught themselves to go around the issue, find the kinks in its armor and rewire their brain to adapt to the ups and downs. They get to a better place, not simply by fighting blindly, but by tackling the problem shrewdly.

We all have something to learn from these people, like I learned from Nina. I've met others, too, who at a young age have dealt with serious stuff such as cancer and heart disease. These are smiling, happy people who live purposeful lives. From all these individuals I learned that we have a right to be happy even when life throws curve balls. I hope this lesson sticks. Would I still think the same way if I were suddenly diagnosed with something terrible - i.e., would I still be so positive? I hope so. I want to believe that I would. Still, I'm afraid of thinking too hard about this - and that's why I admire those who have taken control of their lives with such determination. It takes a lot of guts.

But, if I think about it from the outside looking in, it's all about living. What's important is to keep on living our life - and doing it right so our minds are all taken up with beautiful, beloved, or perfectly ordinary things. Like goals. Wants. Needs. Desires. While doing laundry and cooking homemade chicken noodle soup for dinner. As Emily Dickinson said, "To live is so startling it leaves little time for anything else."

Today, my dear friend Zee Monodee is also posting her progress for the week on her blog. Please take some time to check it out!

I thought that for this Friday's eye candy, it would be a apropos to post pictures of two sexy men who kick MS's butt and look fabulous doing it. Even in my flu induced daze I know sexy when I see it :-D. Montel Williams and Clay Walker.

Until next time, live well and love deeply!

~ Angela ~ No Rules. No Formulas. Just Love. "Mile High to Heaven" and "Mr. & Mrs. Foster" available at Whiskey Creek Press Torrid.